Church News and Events

The Leadership Training Library, a new feature on LDS.org, was a pervasive focus in the Sunday School auxiliary leadership training meeting held on March 28 in the Conference Center Theater and carried live over the Internet.

The Leadership Training Library, a new feature on LDS.org, was a pervasive focus in the Sunday School auxiliary leadership training meeting held March 28 in the Conference Center Theater and carried live over the Internet.

Portions of various video clips from the new library were shown to support the discussion by the Sunday School General Presidency and four general board members of what Brother Russell T. Osguthorpe, Sunday School general president, outlined as four main topics in the meeting:

The role of a ward or stake Sunday School leader.

How to help others understand the Sunday School presidency’s role in helping improve the teaching in all organizations of the ward and stake.

How to counsel together more effectively as a Sunday School presidency.

How to orient teachers and do more effective ongoing support.

“The Leadership Training Library, you will find, will be one of the most important tools you have to help train members of other auxiliaries and the Sunday School in their responsibilities,” said David M. McConkie, first counselor. “The library was prepared by all the auxiliaries in the Church, by the members of the Seventy, [and] by members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. This is a project that has gone on for many years, and it has spanned many continents.”

Brother Osguthorpe suggested that if Sunday School presidencies catch the vision of how much work there is to be done to improve gospel teaching and learning in the Church, they will see the need to have their presidency meetings weekly.

Matthew O. Richardson, second counselor, said orienting new teachers, as well as mature teachers who have been serving for some time, is part of the duties of the Sunday School presidency.

Regarding the library, Brother Richardson said, “You could use clips or various things that are taught here in the process of orienting, much more than just saying, ‘Congratulations, you’re a Gospel Doctrine teacher; here’s the manual. Go get ‘em, tiger!’”

The library can be accessed at LDS.org by first clicking on Menu on the home page and then clicking on the Leadership Training Library link in the Service column.